Dismissed¶58

Sanjay Kumar Dubey v. State of U.P.

Allahabad HC10 Feb 2026BAIL/37399/2025

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

NDPS bail rejected; 97.976 Kg ganja commercial quantity; Section 37 NDPS bar; Section 52-A NDPS non-compliance; Section 483 B.N.S.S. bail application; conscious possession; Union of India v. Md. Nawaz Khan AIR 2021 SC 447; Narcotics Control Bureau v. Mohit Aggarwal (2022) 18 SCC 374; Narcotics Control Bureau v. Kasif (Crl. A. 5544/2024); Bharat Ambale v. State of Chattisgarh 2025 INSC 78; Syed Amir Hasnain (2002) 10 SCC 88; Varanasi, P.S. Rohaniya; DCM vehicle interception; charge sheet 24.9.2025; custody since 6.9.2025; Bail Application No. 37399 of 2025 dismissed.

What did the court decide?

It is evident that during search 97.976 Kg. of Ganja was alleged to be recovered from the vehicle which was being driven by the applicant, which is more than commercial quantity, attracting the stringent parameters of the NDPS Act. ¶16

Sanjay Kumar Dubey Vs State of U.P. — Narcotics (NDPS) | Allahabad HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Dismissed

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Issue for consideration

Whether the applicant Sanjay Kumar Dubey is entitled to be released on bail in Case Crime No. 259 of 2025 under Section 8/20 NDPS Act, where 97.976 Kg of Ganja (commercial quantity) was allegedly recovered from the vehicle he was driving, notwithstanding the bar of Section 37 NDPS Act. +1 more

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Court's answer

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Ratio / Principle

The fact that the accused was not in physical possession of the contraband would not be enough to conclude that the accused is not guilty; the contention that recovery was not from conscious possession of the accused is rejected in view of the decision in Md. Nawaz Khan (supra).

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Key takeaways

Since the applicant, along with co-accused, was arrested from the spot after recovery of commercial quantity of contraband, there is every likelihood that he shall indulge in similar crime if enlarged on bail.ratio¶56
From the perusal of the evidence collected during investigation, prima facie the involvement of the accused cannot be ruled out; no reason is found to falsely implicate the applicant; therefore there is no good ground to release the applicant-accused on bail at this stage.ratio¶57
All the contentions raised by the learned counsel for the applicant (including those regarding compliance with NDPS procedures such as Section 52-A) pertain to the merits of the case and cannot be considered while considering the bail application; the court is unable to form an opinion at this stage that the accused has not committed an offence.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Allahabad High Court (Ashutosh Srivastava, J.) rejects bail under S.483 B.N.S.S. in Case Crime No. 259 of 2025, Ss.8/20 NDPS Act, P.S. Rohaniya, Varanasi: 97.976 Kg ganja (commercial quantity) recovered from a DCM vehicle driven by the applicant; in custody since 6.9.2025; charge-sheet filed 24.9.2025. Held: absence of physical possession of contraband is not enough to conclude the accused is not guilty (relying on Union of India v. Md. Nawaz Khan, AIR 2021 SC 447); the bar of S.37 NDPS Act applies; length of custody or filing of charge-sheet are not persuasive grounds for bail (Narcotics Control Bureau v. Mohit Aggarwal); lapses regarding S.52A NDPS compliance are matters for trial and do not by themselves entitle the accused to bail (Narcotics Control Bureau v. Kasif; Bharat Ambale v. State of Chattisgarh, 2025 INSC 78); contentions as to non-drawing of samples, non-arraying of the vehicle owner and absence of an independent witness pertain to the merits and cannot be considered at the bail stage; prima facie involvement cannot be ruled out; bail application rejected, observations limited to the bail application and not affecting the trial.

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HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD

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CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 37399 of 2025

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Sanjay Kumar Dubey

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	Versus .....Applicant(s)
State of U.P.	.....Opposite Party(s)
Counsel for Applicant(s)	: Ashish Kumar Gupta, Haidar Ali
Counsel for Opposite Party(s)	: G.A.

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Court No. - 68

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HON'BLE ASHUTOSH SRIVASTAVA, J.

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Heard Shri Ashish Kumar Gupta, learned counsel for the applicant, Shri Shashank Singh, learned Brief Holder for the State and perused the record of the case.

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The present bail application under Section 483 B.N.S.S. has been filed on behalf of applicant, Sanjay Kumar Dubey with a prayer to release him on bail in Case Crime No. 259 of 2025, under Section 8/20 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, Police Station- Rohaniya, DistrictVaranasi.

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Learned counsel for the applicant has contended that on the basis of secret information, a raid was conducted by the investigating officer of the case and during interception, 97 Kg. 976 grams of Ganja was recovered from a DCM vehicle being driven by the applicant. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the Investigating Officer of the case has not drawn samples as prescribed by the Act. The owner of the alleged DCM vehicle was not arrayed as an accused in this very case crime number. The independent eye witness was not associated by the Police party at the time of recovery, hence, the falsity of the applicant in this very case crime number cannot be ruled out. The investigating officer has not followed the mandatory provisions of Section 52-A of the NDPS Act.

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Learned counsel for the applicant submits that charge sheet in this case was filed on 24.9.2025. It is also argued that the applicant is absolutely innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present crime with a view to cause

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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unnecessary harassment and victimize him. The applicant, who is in jail since 6.9.2025 having no criminal history to his credit, deserves to be released on bail. In case the applicant is released on bail he will not misuse the liberty of bail.

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Learned Brief Holder submits that the applicant was arrested from the spot and 97.976 Kg. of Ganja was recovered from the vehicle being driven by the applicant. The FSL report (Annexed as Annexure-CA2) also certified that recovered contraband was of Ganja. He has further submitted that it is an admitted fact that the recovery of 97.976 Kg. of Ganja, which is more than the commercial quantity, has been recovered from the vehicle in question, hence, Section 37 of NDPS Act is attracted in the present case, therefore, the bail application is liable to be rejected.

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I have considered the rival submissions advanced by learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record.

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It is evident that during search 97.976 Kg. of Ganja was alleged to be recovered from the vehicle which was being driven by the applicant, which is more than commercial quantity.

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This court has considered the recent case of Union of India Vs Md. Nawaz Khan , reported in, AIR 2021 SC 447 , which is a case where contraband was concealed in a bag and it was held by Supreme Court that factum of absence of possession of contraband by the accused in itself cannot be sole ground for grant of bail. In paragraph nos. 20 & 29, it has been said as under:-

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"20. Based on the above precedent, the test which the High Court and this Court are required to apply while granting bail is whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accused has not committed an offence and whether he is likely to commit any offence while on bail. Given the seriousness of offences punishable under the NDPS Act and in order to curb the menace of drug-trafficking in the country, stringent parameters for the grant of bail under the NDPS Act have been prescribed.

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29. In the complaint that was filed on 16 October 2019 it is alleged that at about 1400 hours on 26 March 2019, information was received that

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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between 1500-1700 hours on the same day, the three accused persons would be reaching Uttar Pradesh. The complaint states that the information was immediately reduced to writing. Therefore, the contention that Section 42 of the NDPS Act was not complied with is prima facie misplaced. The question is one that should be raised in the course of the trial."

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The Hon'ble Apex Court further in the case of Md. Nawaz Khan (supra) in paragraph nos. 24 & 25 has also stated as under:

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"24. As regards the finding of the High Court regarding absence of recovery of the contraband from the possession of the respondent, we note that in Union of India vs. Rattan Mallik , a two-judge Bench of this Court cancelled the bail of an accused and reversed the finding of the High Court, which had held that as the contraband (heroin) was recovered from a specially made cavity above the cabin of a truck, no contraband was found in the 'possession' of the accused. The Court observed that merely making a finding on the possession of the contraband did not fulfil the parameters of Section 37 (1)(b) and there was non- application of mind by the High Court.

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25. In line with the decision of this Court in Rattan Mallik (supra), we are of the view that a finding of the absence of possession of the contraband on the person of the respondent by the High Court in the impugned order does not absolve it of the level of scrutiny required under Section 37(1)(b)(ii) of the NDPS Act."

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It is further asserted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court vide para 25, referred to above, that finding of the absence of possession of the contraband on the person of the accused does not absolve him of the level of scrutiny required under Section 37 (1)(b)(ii) of the NDPS Act.

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Learned counsel for the accused has not been able to point out anything to this Court so as to come to conclusion that the accused is not guilty of the offence. The fact that accused was not in physical possession of contraband would not be enough to conclude that accused is not guilty. The contention

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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that recovery was not from conscious possession of the accused is noted to be rejected in view of recent decision of Supreme Court in Md. Nawaz Khan's case (supra) .

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In the case of State vs. Syed Amir Hasnain, (2002) 10 SCC 88 , the Hon'ble Apex Court has held in view of the two judgments of this Court in Union of India Vs Ram Samujh, (1999) 9 SCC 382 and Union of India Vs Aharwa Deen, (2000) 9 SCC 382 , even the High Court would be bound by the provisions of Section 37 of the NDPS Act and would not be entitled to release the accused under the provisions of the NDPS Act unless the provisions of Section 37 of the Act are satisfied.

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In Narcotics Control Bureau v. Mohit Aggarwal [(2022) 18 SCC 374], the three Judge Bench of the Hon'ble Supreme Court held that

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"length of the period of custody or that the charge-sheet had been filed or even that the trial has not commenced by themselves are not considerations that can be treated as persuasive grounds to grant bail

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under Section 37 of the NDPS Act."

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So far as the contention of learned counsel for the applicant that the arresting officials did not comply with the mandatory provisions of search and seizure of narcotics substance as per the provisions of the NDPS Act is concerned, the Apex Court in Criminal Appeal No. 5544 of 2024 (Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 12120 of 2024) Narcotics Control Bureau versus Kasif, decided on 20.12.2024 has held that sub-section (2) of Section 52A lays down the procedure as contemplated in sub-section (1) thereof, and any lapse or delayed compliance thereof would be merely a procedural irregularity which would neither entitle the accused to be released on bail nor would vitiate the trial on that ground alone.

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The Apex Court recently in the case of Bharat Ambale versus State of Chattisgarh, reported in [2025 INSC 78] while dealing with the plea that conviction stood vitiated on account of non compliance of Section 52A of the NDPS Act in Para 50 of its judgment has held as under:-

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"50.We summarize our final conclusion as under: -

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(I) Although Section 52A is primarily for the disposal and destruction of

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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seized contraband in a safe manner yet it extends beyond the immediate context of drug disposal, as it serves a broader purpose of also introducing procedural safeguards in the treatment of narcotics substance after seizure inasmuch as it provides for the preparation of inventories, taking of photographs of the seized substances and drawing samples therefrom in the presence and with the certification of a magistrate. Mere drawing of samples in presence of a gazetted officer would not constitute sufficient compliance of the mandate under Section 52A sub-section (2) of the NDPS Act.

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(II) Although, there is no mandate that the drawing of samples from the seized substance must take place at the time of seizure as held in Mohanlal (supra), yet we are of the opinion that the process of inventorying, photographing and drawing samples of the seized substance shall as far as possible, take place in the presence of the accused, though the same may not be done at the very spot of seizure.

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(III) Any inventory, photographs or samples of seized substance prepared in substantial compliance of the procedure prescribed under Section 52A of the NDPS Act and the Rules / Standing Order(s) thereunder would have to be mandatorily treated as primary evidence as per Section 52A sub-section (4) of the NDPS Act, irrespective of whether the substance in original is actually produced before the court or not.

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(IV) The procedure prescribed by the Standing Order(s) / Rules in terms of Section 52A of the NDPS Act is only intended to guide the officers and to see that a fair procedure is adopted by the officer in-charge of the investigation, and as such what is required is substantial compliance of the procedure laid therein.

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(V) Mere non-compliance of the procedure under Section 52A or the Standing Order(s) / Rules thereunder will not be fatal to the trial unless there are discrepancies in the physical evidence rendering the prosecution's case doubtful, which may not have been there had such compliance been done. Courts should take a holistic and cumulative view of the discrepancies that may exist in the evidence adduced by the prosecution and appreciate the same more carefully keeping in mind the

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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procedural lapses.

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(VI) If the other material on record adduced by the prosecution, oral or documentary inspires confidence and satisfies the court as regards the recovery as-well as conscious possession of the contraband from the accused persons, then even in such cases, the courts can without hesitation proceed to hold the accused guilty notwithstanding any procedural defect in terms of Section 52A of the NDPS Act.

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(VII) Non-compliance or delayed compliance of the said provision or rules thereunder may lead the court to drawing an adverse inference against the prosecution, however no hard and fast rule can be laid down as to when such inference may be drawn, and it would all depend on the peculiar facts and circumstances of each case.

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(VIII) Where there has been lapse on the part of the police in either following the procedure laid down in Section 52A of the NDPS Act or the prosecution in proving the same, it will not be appropriate for the court to resort to the statutory presumption of commission of an offence from the possession of illicit material under Section 54 of the NDPS Act, unless the court is otherwise satisfied as regards the seizure or recovery of such material from the accused persons from the other material on record.

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(IX) The initial burden will lie on the accused to first lay the foundational facts to show that there was non-compliance of Section 52A, either by leading evidence of its own or by relying upon the evidence of the prosecution, and the standard required would only be preponderance of probabilities.

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(X) Once the foundational facts laid indicate non-compliance of Section 52A of the NDPS Act, the onus would thereafter be on the prosecution to prove by cogent evidence that either (i) there was substantial compliance with the mandate of Section 52A of the NDPS Act OR (ii) satisfy the court that such non-compliance does not affect its case against the accused, and the standard of proof required would be beyond a reasonable doubt."

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BAIL No. 37399 of 2025

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In the case at hand, commercial quantity of contraband was recovered during interception and applicant along with co-accused were arrested from the spot. There is every likelihood that the applicant shall indulge in similar crime, if enlarged on bail.

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In the light of the facts and circumstances of the present case, it would be inappropriate to discuss the evidence in depth at this stage because it is likely to influence the trial of the accused. But, from the perusal of the evidences, collected during investigation so far, prima facie, the involvement of the accused in the present case cannot be ruled out. No reason is found to falsely implicate the applicant/accused. Therefore, there is no good ground to release the applicant-accused on bail at this stage. All the contentions raised by the learned counsel for the applicant pertain to the merits of the case and the same cannot be considered while considering application for grant of bail. This court is unable to form an opinion at this stage that the accused has not committed an offence.

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In the ultimate conclusion, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, gravity of the offence, severity of punishment, in my opinion, no case for bail is made out. Accordingly, the bail application is hereby rejected .

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It is clarified that the observations made regarding the bail application is limited to the decision of the bail application and any observations made herein shall not effect the trial of the case.

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(Ashutosh Srivastava,J.)

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February 11, 2026 Ravi Prakash

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Digitally signed by :- RAVI PRAKASH High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

Sanjay Kumar Dubey v. State of U.P.

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Sanjay Kumar Dubey v. State of U.P.

Case brief

What is this about?

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What the court decided

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